2025 brought some innovations for League of Legends. Riot also tried something new in esports. They experimented with a new format for the pick and ban phase, which wasn’t well received by everyone. However, it has now been decided that the format will continue in the future.
What format is being discussed? Normally, the pick and ban phase consists of several steps:
- First, both teams take turns banning 3 champions and then selecting
- In the second step, 2 champions are banned again and 2 are selected respectively
In the past, this often resulted in not seeing much champion variation, as the best picks were always banned or selected. The so-called Fearless Draft changed this format.
What is the Fearless Draft? Essentially, the structure runs in the same way, but with the difference that each champion can only be played once in a Best-of-3 or Best-of-5 match. This provides more variation for the audience, but also creates challenges for the players who have to learn more champions.
Now, lolesports.com has commented on the future of the format and seems to be satisfied. They announced that the format will even be used in the most important tournament of the year.
The format is not popular with everyone
What will happen to the Fearless Draft in 2025? For a long time, it was unclear how the Fearless Draft would proceed, but Riot has now commented on it. They state that after positive feedback from teams and fans, they decided that the format will remain in the 2025 season.
They want to keep the format in the regional leagues until the end of the competitive season. Global events are also expected to follow. They even announced that the Fearless Draft will be used for the Best-of-3 and Best-of-5 matches at this year’s Worlds. The Swiss stage will remain a Best-of-1.
Not everyone was satisfied with the Fearless Draft. While European professionals have previously supported the Fearless Draft, there has also been significant criticism from the audience since its implementation at the beginning of the year.
While some viewers praised the new draft format as the best change in esports, some criticized the effects of the innovation:
- They want to see players at their best, not forced champion diversity
- Additionally, the difficulty for coaches and players is a problem
- They don’t believe that the Fearless Draft will help esports grow
What makes the Fearless Draft good? The champion variance is a strong argument for it. The Worlds 2024 have shown that the meta ensures that you keep seeing the same champions. With the Fearless Draft, teams must rethink and react spontaneously. This is not inherently better or worse than before, but it changes the direction in which strategies must be developed.
The Fearless Draft can ensure that champions are played that you wouldn’t normally see in the professional scene. Even the controversial champion Teemo could therefore appear on the big stage: Pro in LoL considers playing the impossible champ to surprise the stars from Asia
